Johara Khnifes, 28 was the 32nd vicitm of violence in the Arab sector this year, and the 5th woman to be murdered; she was a social advocate speaking out against violence in Arab communities
The daughter of a local politician in the northern Arab city of Shfar’am was murdered late on Tuesday when an explosive device attached to her car detonated near the entrance to the city.
Johara Khnifes, 28 was the 32nd victim of violence in the sector this year and the 5th woman to be murdered.
Khnifes was active in social protest of Arab sector violence and participated in a campaign calling for its end.
In an interview she gave just days before she was murdered, Khnifes said the violence was a result of ignorance.
“When people live without a sense of security, they find it hard to advance in life. Until we as Arabs, feel we can live in safety, we will not advance,” she said.
Khnifes was the daughter of Shfar’am’s Druz deputy mayor.
Faraj Khnifes is a prominent figure in the city where with a decades long public service. He told reporters that he was not aware of threats against him or his family and was not in dispute with anyone.
“Over the years, the police had told me on occasion that there are threats on my life, but not recently. I never thought the violence would reach my door,” he said.
“My daughter was a lovely woman. One of a kind. She was successful and courageous and always had a smile on her face,” he said.
“She was our flower. Our hearts are broken. It is difficult to be in our house, without her,” he said.